Robertson denied his departure was down to the crucifix row, but his decision to go left one of the UK’s most challenging HR jobs up for grabs. Yet 10 months on, there is no sign of a permanent replacement. Instead, BA’s head of employee relations, David Lebrecht, has been acting up as director for people since February.

A BA spokesman said: “The recruitment process is ongoing. We looked at some strong internal candidates but then widened the search externally.”

He added that Lebrecht did not want to apply for the role permanently.